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Martin Wanless predicts…
Score prediction: Everton 2 Sunderland 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Mundle
Who knows what sort of team we’re going to be putting out today, but it’s likely to have a few changes in there and quite rightly so. If the FA really want teams to take the competition seriously again there shouldn’t be any other fixtures the week before or after each round.
So, we are likely to see a few changes, and I suspect a narrow defeat. On the positive side of things, a few players will get some minutes in their legs, including Mundle, who I think will get our goal.
BRENTFORD, ENGLAND – JANUARY 07: Sunderland’s Romaine Mundle arriving at the stadium during the Premier League match between Brentford and Sunderland at Gtech Community Stadium on January 07, 2026 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images) CameraSport via Getty Images
‘The Champion’ Malc Dugdale predicts…
Score prediction: Everton 1 Sunderland 1 (AET, SAFC win on pens)
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Mayenda
Brentford was a low day for all, but this team is highly likely to be a very different XI plus subs.
I am hoping that as a wider squad we rotate and get a win on the board somehow, while allowing rest for those who need it. Any win against Moyes has to be a good one.
Mayenda has done well coming on wide on the right of late, but we know how much he loves a lung-busting and very physical run as the centre forward from his Championship performances.
I am backing Eli to get us a goal in a tight game, which I think will go into extra time (not that either side needs that) and I hope we will nick it on pens, putting to bed the whole chapter about Le Fee and his attempt at a bit of flai,r which backfired as we all saw.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 4: Eliezer Mayenda of Sunderland is tackled by Micky Van de Ven of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 4, 2026 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images) Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Jack Howe-Gingell predicts…
Score prediction: Everton 0 Sunderland 2
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Traore
Everyone has gone a bit crazy after the defeat mid-week. Yes, it was a poor penalty, but these things happen. It’s not so long ago Wilson Isidor missed two in one match. We’re tired after playing three games in six days, and this is likely going to be a rotated eleven.
It’s tough to predict games like this, as you have no idea who will play and how we will approach it. Similarly, you have to ask the same question of Everton, so who knows how it will ultimately unfold.
I’ll go for us to win, as everyone generally expects us to throw the game, but we’ll go classic Sunderland and throw a spanner in the works by actually winning.
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 14: Daniel Ballard and Bertrand Traore of Sunderland celebrates the first goal during the Premier League match between Sunderland and Newcastle United at Stadium of Light on December 14, 2025 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) Visionhaus/Getty Images
Score prediction: Everton 0 Sunderland 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Mayenda
New stadium, same Everton, who will be there for the taking. We’ll make changes, because half the squad has played enough minutes to last a lifetime, but there’s still enough spark in the side to nick something.
BRENTFORD, ENGLAND – JANUARY 7: Sunderland’s manager Regis Le Bris looks on before the match during the Premier League match between Brentford and Sunderland at Gtech Community Stadium on January 7, 2026 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images) CameraSport via Getty Images
Score prediction: Everton 0 Sunderland 1 (AET)
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Mayenda
There will be some within the fanbase who will be hoping we go near full strength today, to try our luck at a nice little cup run. I think those fans will be disappointed. I see us rotating heavily today and resting those who have played so many games in so little time.
Will Everton do the same? I suspect they will, for the same reasons as we. Two of those were enforced by red cards handed out against Wolves.
I have absolutely no idea how this goes. I don’t think it will be a thriller by any means, though. Through hope more than belief, I’ll back us to win it after extra time and throw our name in the pot for the next round.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – JANUARY 07: David Moyes, Manager of Everton, looks on during the warm up prior to the Premier League match between Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Hill Dickinson Stadium on January 07, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) Getty Images
Score prediction: Everton 2 Sunderland 0
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: N/A
I’m so downhearted after Brentford that I cannot see us beating a depleted Everton squad with our very own depleted squad. Everton have been on such a bad run that they’ll view this as a way to turn their season around.
We’ll give it a good go, but I reckon Xhaka will be rested and we’ll be left without a real vibesman pulling the strings as good as the Granit. Sorry.
BRENTFORD, ENGLAND – JANUARY 07: Yehor Yarmolyuk of Brentford argues with Granit Xhaka of Sunderland during the Premier League match between Brentford and Sunderland at Gtech Community Stadium on January 07, 2026 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) Getty Images
Score prediction: Everton 0 Sunderland 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Mayenda
After an awful trip to Brentford, hopefully we can put that aside and give nearly 8,000 travelling supporters a lot to cheer about.
Score predictions in the cup feel like a complete lottery. I have no idea what type of team RLB intends to field. If ever there was a time to go full-strength in the cup, though, it’s now, as there’s no reason to focus on the league and survival as a priority over a good cup run at this point.
Unfortunately, if we are looking at starting our best XI, the timing of this game is far from ideal, given how fatigued we’ve started to look after a gruelling festive schedule, coinciding with AFCON, which has forced us into deploying the same personnel for most of that period.
RLB will have to strike the right balance of freshening things up and selecting the best team to progress. Hopefully Everton, with the suspensions of Keane and Grealish, find themselves in a similar boat to even things out.
Sunderland’s Eliezer Mayenda during the Premier League match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London. Picture date: Sunday January 4, 2026. (Photo by John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images) PA Images via Getty Images
Brett Lyons-Davis predicts…
Score prediction: Everton 1 Sunderland 2
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Dan Neil
Who the hell plays in this one? Do we think we’ve done enough in the league to go for a cup run?
Do any of the lads who are coming back from AFCON get in the team? Can RLB squeeze anymore out of those tired limbs we saw on Wednesday night?
Are Everton going to look to rest players, or are they up for the cup? Does Le Fee take the first penalty if it gets that far?..
One thing I do know, the lads will be backed by over 7000 passionate away fans, daring to dream of another trip to Wembley in May.
Worth remembering also that after every defeat this season, we’ve won the next game (against Premier League opposition). So I look forward to seeing us in the big plastic bowl for the 4th round draw.
Dan Neil of Sunderland takes a penalty during the Carabao Cup match between Sunderland and Huddersfield Town at the Stadium Of Light in Sunderland, on August 26, 2025. (Photo by Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto via Getty Images
The less we say about the loss away to Brentford, the better.
The squad have done really well across the AFCON challenge period, but this was one game too many, with a tired squad and against a very in-form team.
Add in the penalty we didn’t convert, which Brobbey won at a time when momentum was really swinging in our favour, and it was all just too much across too short a period with too little resource to cope. That penna miss was a step too far for even us to come back from.
We draw a line, thank the lads for the 30 points we already have, and have a go at this cup game, getting the less-used lads some time on the grass, and welcome rest for those who need it.
BRENTFORD, ENGLAND – JANUARY 07: Nordi Mukiele of Sunderland inspects the pitch prior to the Premier League match between Brentford and Sunderland at Gtech Community Stadium on January 07, 2026 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images) Getty Images
Not a lot of predictions lads shouted for a loss at the Gtech, so not many points for the lads from that miserable day in West London.
“Happy Gary” did go for a loss, but not 3-0, so gets a point for that. Quite a few missed out on one point for FGS with the penalty not being converted by Enzo.
The man is a legend in the making. We all move on and take it on the chin for me.
Predictions Table & Standings
Gary extends his lead to 2 points by being Mr Happy.
Rest of the table stays as is, so we move on to Cup action, and the chances of a first SAFC goal scorer point get even more challenging!
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 04: Luke O’Nien of Sunderland warms up prior to the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 04, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) Getty Images
How the points are awarded
Just a quick reminder of how we allocate points to our match-by-match predictions:
Correct score = Three pointsCorrect outcome (but not correct score) = One pointCorrect first Sunderland goalscorer = One point (no goalscorer is a valid call)Possible deductions for being lazy and not submitting on time = a two-point deduction.